Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Softball opens MVC action at Wichita State
03/15/2012 | 12:00:00 | Softball
March 15, 2012
By Megan Kramper
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois softball team will open Missouri Valley Conference action Saturday and Sunday as it travels to Wichita, Kan. to face the Wichita State Shockers in a three game series.
Game Information
Games 20-22 • Wichita, Kan. (Wilkins Stadium)
Radio: Game Central on SIUSalukis.com with Johnny Sole (pay)
Video: Shocker Vision from GoShockers.com (pay)
Stats: LiveStats from GoShockers.com
SALUKIS VS. SHOCKERS
3/17 - 12 p.m. (DH)
3/17 - 2 p.m. (DH)
3/18 - 12 p.m.
WEATHER
SATURDAY: High - 77/ Low - 59 (isolated storms - 30% /windy)
SUNDAY: High - 78/ Low - 59 (windy)
SALUKIS BEGIN CONFERENCE ACTION WITH WICHITA STATE
For the second year in a row, the Southern Illinois softball team will open up Missouri Valley Conference play with Wichita State. The Shockers visited Charlotte West on March 19-20, 2011, as the Dawgs swept the three game series (4-0, 3-0, 5-0). The Salukis were picked to finish third in the preseason conference poll and Wichita State came in eighth. In 2011, the Shockers went 12-14 in the conference race.
WICHITA STATE QUICK HITS
All-time history
The Salukis lead the all-time series 44-23. The Salukis have won the last seven of eight meetings including a sweep of the Shockers at Charlotte West in 2011.
ON DECK: WICHITA STATE (6-16)
The Shockers have a new head coach but are still off to a rocky start as they stand at 6-16 on the season and are in the midst of a nine game losing streak. They haven't played an easy schedule, as they've faced national powerhouses including Arizona State twice in two run-rule issued losses. They've fallen to Iowa, Oklahoma, Baylor, Arkansas, and Indiana. They dropped an extra inning game (2-1) to Oklahoma State on Tuesday in Stillwater. The Shockers are hitting .242 as a team led by freshman outfielder Sydney Stuever with a .370 batting average, a double, triple, home run and three RBI. Junior middle infielder Hayley Temple and freshman catcher/first base Melanie Jaegers are the only two Shockers who have started every game this season. In the circle, Sloan Anderson and Katie Armagost split time having both made 13 appearances each for the Shockers. Anderson holds a 3-9 record with a 6.07 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched. She allows opponents to hit .360 and has given up 20 home runs this season. Armagost is 2-5 with a 6.76 ERA in 48.2 innings pitched and allows opponents to hit .358.
LOOKING BACK AT 2011
The Salukis return three First Team All-MVC picks from a 2011 squad that finished third with a 17-6 conference record in the regular season. Senior outfielder Mallory Duran-Sellers and sophomore first baseman Taylor Orsburn and second baseman Jayna Spivey were first team honorees last season while shortstop Haley Gorman and her cousin junior outfielder Morgan Barchan were second team selections. The Salukis will look forward to their home slate of conference action, where they went 11-1 last season. They fell to Drake in the semi-finals of the MVC Conference Tournament.
SALUKIS AMONG THE COMPETITION
Going into the 2012 conference season, the Salukis currently ranked third in team batting average with a .294 overall. Only Evansville (.305) and Illinois State (.298) are better. They rank sixth in team fielding (.959) and ninth in team pitching (4.85 ERA). The Salukis have played the second-most games of everyone in the Valley with 19 only Illinois State (25) has played more. Mallory Duran-Sellers ranks 10th in batting average (.414), Alyssa Wunderlich ranks eighth in ERA (2.91), Haley Gorman is tied for second in hits (25), Allie VadeBoncouer leads in home runs (4) and ranks second in RBI (22), and Duran-Sellers ranks first in runs scored (22), just to name a few.
SALUKIS BREAK EVEN IN HAWAII
The Salukis spent the first part of spring break at the Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament hosted by No. 19 Hawaii. Rain spoiled the first day of the tournament Friday and was restructured to a two-day round robin tournament where the Salukis split games. They defeated Robert Morris 2-1 in eight innings and Radford 4-3 in nine innings. They dropped contest with the host Rainbow Wahine and Marist, where they fell in the bottom of the seventh.
VADEBONCOUER CLEANS UP NICE
Sophomore catcher Allie VadeBoncouer has been the Salukis' clean up hitter in 2012 and the spot suits her nicely. In 19 games, the Kankakee, Ill. native holds a .311 batting average and leads the team in home runs (4) and RBI (22). She has had a hit in the Salukis last nine of 10 games; including four multiple hit games during that time. She hit the only Saluki home run in Hawaii, a two run shot against Marist on Sunday.
PITCHERS EMERGE IN ALOHA STATE
The Saluki pitchers shined in action at the Malihini Kipa Aloha last weekend. Combined, the three Saluki pitchers held a 2.36 ERA and allowed just six walks and striking out 13. Freshman Alyssa Wunderlich went nine complete innings in the Salukis 4-3 win over Radford, striking out four and allowing just one earned run and held the Highlanders to a .107 batting average. Freshman Katie Bertelsen picked up the load of the work, going 14.2 innings with a 1-1 weekend record and a .095 ERA while striking out seven. Brittney Lang picked up the loss against Hawaii while throwing a solid performance.
